Beauty x the Beast
by Niana7064
Summary: Young Sakura Hatake is an outsider in her own village, always dreaming of having her own adventures. Then one night, Sakura might get the adventure she's always wanted when her father is taken prisoner by a young, cursed lord in his castle long forgotten. While a war hero waits for her, Sakura can't help but fall for the lord as she thaws his cold heart.
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1**

 **The Beginning**

 _Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle._

A young woman with her long black hair down carefully does the young prince's makeup as her white eyes are full of concentration, although he is irritated that he must wear these cosmetics when they make his skin itch. Tonight is no exception for it is the time he searches for his queen among the many dancing maidens that have been invited to this ball.

 _Although he had everything his heart ever desired, the prince was selfish and cold._

Once his makeup is perfect and his hair done back, he hears a voice and turns to face his older brother, "Brother, the time has come."

"Very well, Itachi."

 _He taxed the village in order to fill his castle with the most beautiful things. And his parties with the most beautiful people._

In the ballroom, Young Lord Sasuke Uchiha sees that the art master, Sai has started playing good dancing music on his precious piano with his lover Ino Yamanaka singing as the Young Lord dance among the young girls in search for his bride.

 **Oh, how divine**

 **Glamour,**

 **music and magic combine**

 **See the maidens**

 **so anxious to shine**

 **Look for a sign**

 **that enhances chances**

 **She'll be his special one**

As she sings on, Ino and all of the others that reside in the castle have always hoped that their Young Lord would find a maiden to love and cherish above all else.

 **What a display**

 **What a breathtaking**

 **thrilling array**

 **Ev'ry prince**

 **Ev'ry dog has his day**

 **Let us sing with passion,**

 **gusto, fit to bust, oh**

 **Not a care in the world**

As the music plays on, Sasuke can't seem to choose a single girl among the dancers to take as his bride, for none of them were giving him have seem to make his heart flutter with the common beauty they all carry. Sasuke is searching for a beauty that he has never been seen before and none of these maidens around him seem to have that divine beauty he is searching for.

Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard door with a single flash of lightning behind the intruder, indicating a new storm has come. Somehow the double doors swing open, allowing the wind to blow out every lit candle in the ballroom, then they all see an old man in an old, withered cloak strive into the room, annoying Sasuke that this man thinks that he can just enter his castle as he pleases.

 _Then one night an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter cold outside. As a gift, he had offered the prince a single rose in return. Repulsed by his old, wrinkled appearance, the young lord turned the man away. However he warned him not to be deceived by only appearances. For true beauty comes from within._

The prince refusing the old man shelter had became his worst mistake. For soon an ominous aura surrounds the man, melting away his ugliness to reveal his true self, the snake enchanter Orochimaru. The enchanter had been known and feared by many in the world.

 _The Young Lord had begged the man for forgiveness, but it was far too late. For he had seen that no one has yet to win his heart._

As the guests panic and try to escape the castle and avoid the Enchanter's spell, a small child goes through the scared crowd to find her friend while her mother calls for her. Finding the Young Lord on his knees, left in complete shock, the young girl calls out, "Lord Sasuke!"

Causing him to turn his attention towards her. "Mirai!" Just as Mirai runs right into his arms, Orochimaru approaches the terrified prince.

 _As punishment, he transformed him into a hideous creature._

With an evil smirk across his face, Orochimaru leans forward until his face is able to reach the back of Sasuke's neck and bit him, causing the Young Lord to scream in pain as his curse mark appears on the back of his neck. Once he had retracted himself, the first effects of the curse was that his skin became dark-grey, his hair grew longer and turned dark blue, his eyes became dark grey. Next in his painful transformation, a pair of webbed-claw-shaped wings grew from his back with the finishing touch being a dark, star-shaped mark appears across the bridge of his nose.

 _The prince's transformation complete, the Enchanter then places a powerful spell on the castle and all who reside there. As days bled into years, the prince and his servants have been completely forgotten by the outside world. Orochimaru had erased every memory of them from the minds of the ones they all love as the spell completely stops time for all of those inside the castle._

 _The rose he had offered was truly an enchanted rose. If the Young Lord could learn to love someone and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. However as the years passed, he had been consumed in despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a monster?_

In a quiet village not too far from the forgotten castle, a young girl of sixteen leaves her small, cozy home, first greeted by the first gentle wind of the morning. Feeling the breeze gently play with her cherry blossom pink hair, Sakura Hatake gazes out over the horizon just outside her village. With her basket on hand with her money pouch and a book inside that she needs to return to the pastor in the church, Sakura starts her trek through the village.

 **Little town**

 **It's a quiet village**

 **Ev'ry day like the one before**

 **Little town**

 **Full of little people**

 **Waking up to say**

At the sound of the church bells ringing, all of the town awaken to the bright, new day and starting off like they always do. "Bonjour!" everyone greets each other for the morning with smiles and in an instant the town is now lively.

 **There goes the baker**

 **with his tray like always**

 **The same old bread**

 **and rolls to sell**

Being offered one of his fresh rolls, Sakura takes it and pays him for the fresh bread, thanking him before continuing on her way to the church.

 **Every morning**

 **just the same**

 **Since the morning that we came**

 **To this poor**

 **provincial town**

Walking by the stables, Sakura gives one handsome stallion some attention and a carrot from the bin next to his stall. "Good morning, Sakura!" Sakura hears a kind voice and sees the man in charge of all the stables in the village, Asuma Sarutobi.

"Good morning, Monsieur Asuma!"

"Where are you off to this beautiful morning?" Asuma asks, smiling at how well Sakura tends to his animals and they all seem to love her.

"To return this book to Pastor Tsunade." Sakura answers as she starts to leave the stables after giving the donkey some attention. "It's the story of two lovers in Fair Verona."

"You've been off to that place multiple times." Asuma points out.

With reading, Sakura feels that she has traveled to the very places the story is taking place. "Well it is one of my favorites."

And so she continues on to the church, passing the school where the boys are just about to go inside as they and their teacher spot Sakura.

 **Look there she goes**

 **That girl is strange,**

 **no question**

 **Dazed and distracted**

 **Can't you tell?**

The man ushers the boys inside. Sakura is very different from all of the villagers, more free spirited, always dreaming of adventures outside the village just like in the books she reads. Feeling like having a bit of fun, Sakura crosses a stream by hopping on the stones across. Then a few women working on laundry watch her pass by.

 **Never part of any crowd**

' **Cause her head's**

 **up on some cloud**

 **No denying**

 **she's a funny girl that Sakura**

Sure the women find her odd, yet their daughters admire Sakura, wanting to be just like her.

 **Bonjour, good day,**

 **how is your family?**

Sakura then passes by a young farmer flirting with a young maiden as he sets out his eggs.

 **Bonjour, good day,**

 **how is your wife?**

 **I need six eggs**

 **That's too expensive**

 **There must be more**

 **than this provincial life**

Arriving at her destination, Sakura enters the church through a side door to find Tsunade cleaning the windows who gives a smile to her regular visitor. "Ah, if it is't my favorite bookworm. So, where did you go to this week?"

Helping her down the ladder, Sakura gives the pastor a big smile. "Two beautiful cities in Northern Italy. I didn't want to return. Do you have any new places to explore?"

"I'm afraid not, dear. But you are still welcome to reread the old ones that you love."

"Thank you." Placing the book she had back in its place on the shelf, Sakura then takes a new one. "Your library makes our small part of the world feel big."

"Bon Voyage." With that, Sakura leaves the church to head back home, already reading the book.

 **Look, there she goes**

 **The girl is so peculiar**

 **I wonder**

 **if she's feeling well**

The next stop she made is to grab a couple of fresh cookies to share with her father.

 **With a dreamy far off look**

 **And her nose stuck in a book**

 **What a puzzle to the rest of us is Sakura**

Picking up where she had left off with the cookies wrapped and secure in her basket, Sakura can't help but let out a soft sigh at the part she's now at.

 **Oh! Isn't this amazing**

 **It's my favorite part**

 **because you'll see**

Her singing had caught the attention of a few young girls that are doing chores. To see them gather around her in curiosity, Sakura shows them the part that she is reading, when the young girl in the story meets a mysterious figure in the forest.

 **Here's where**

 **she meets Prince Charming**

 **But she won't discover that it's him**

' **Till chapter three**

Soon the curious girls are ushered away by their mothers, leaving Sakura alone to dream about finding her own Prince Charming, wondering about under what circumstances there will be. Then the village lass Karin sees Sakura standing in the busy streets, most likely thinking about finding love. Karin always believed that the two girls are the most beautiful in the village, making them rivals.

 **Now it's no wonder**

 **That she has such beauty**

 **Her looks have**

 **got no parallel**

 **But behind that fair facade**

 **I'm afraid she's rather odd**

 **Very different**

 **from the rest of us**

 **She's nothing**

 **like the rest of us**

 **Yes, different**

 **from the rest of us**

 **Is Sakura**

She may be different from everyone, yet there is a certain village hero that desires her hand in marriage. Speaking of hero, Sasori is returning to his home village with his companion Deidara riding right beside him, the hero currently keeping an eye on the beautiful Sakura through his telescope. "Just look at her, Deidara. She's my future wife. Sakura is the most beautiful maiden in the entire village."

"You know, Sasori my man, Karin is just as lovely as the cherry blossom." Deidara points out after observing the girl Sasori had chosen.

"True, but she doesn't posses a beauty like my sweet Sakura does. Ever since the war, I felt I was missing something and Sakura gives me a strong feeling of what I've been missing this whole time." Sasori then leads his companion inside the village.

 **Right from the moment**

 **When I met her, saw her**

 **I said she's gorgeous**

 **and I fell**

 **Here in town there's only she**

 **Who is beautiful as me**

 **So I'm making plans**

 **to woo and marry Sakura**

As he declares his plans to marry Sakura, Karin is left in a fluttering mess at the sight of the war hero she's come to love and desire.

 **Look there he goes**

 **Isn't he dreamy**

 **Monsieur Sasori,**

 **oh, he's so cute**

Just as she had hoped, Sasori looks her way as he dismounts his loyal steed and leave him in Asuma's care after a long ride.

 **Be still, my heart**

 **I'm hardly breathing**

 **He's such a tall, dark**

 **Strong and handsome brute**

With that, Sasori takes his leave and Deidara gives Karin a smirk. "Keep dreaming all you want, my dear, but that won't happen for you." And so, Deidara follows Sasori. Soon Sasori sees Sakura easily wove through the crowded streets, her usual smile on her face.

 **Bonjour**

 **Pardon**

 **Good day**

 **Mais, oui**

 **You call this bacon**

 **What lovely flowers**

 **Some cheese**

 **Ten yards**

 **One pound**

' **Scuse me**

 **I'll get the knife**

 **Please let me through**

Keeping a close eye on her so he doesn't lose her in the thick crowds, Sasori follows Sakura only to be having a hard time to do so.

 **This bread**

 **Those fish**

 **It's stale**

 **They smell**

 **Madame's mistaken**

 **Well, maybe so**

 **There must be more**

 **than this provincial life**

Sakura twirls around, viewing the village all around her, even missing Sasori, as she takes in the warm light of the sun and her dreams continue to extend out to the horizon.

 **Good morning**

 **Just watch I'm going**

 **to make Sakura my wife**

Sasori proclaims as he watches Sakura in her ever glowing beauty.

 **Look there she goes**

 **A girl who's strange but special**

 **A most peculiar mademoiselle**

 **It's a pity and a sin**

 **She doesn't quite fit in**

 **But she really is a funny girl**

 **A beauty but a funny girl**

 **She really is a funny girl**

 **That Sakura**

The crowds clear enough as everyone went about with their day, Sasori finally catches up to Sakura, a beautiful bouquet on hand. "Good morning, Sakura!"

Hearing the voice of the war hero behind her, Sakura rolls her eyes and lets out an annoyed sigh as she turns to face the man that keeps pursuing her when she has made it clear that she is not interested in him. "That book you have there is a wonderful book." he points to the book in her hands, her basket secured on her arm.

"Then I take it you read it, Sasori?" Sakura asks, not believing the idea of him reading anything.

Having a closer look, Sasori had started to lose the cover up. "Well, not that one but you know books are great."

Not buying his statement since he is more interested in fighting and being in the war, Sakura turns around and takes her leave with Sasori still being right behind her and takes hold of her wrist, stopping and making her face him again. "For your table." Sasori gives her the bouquet, leaving Sakura surprised at their beauty. "Shall I join you this evening?"

Taking the flowers, Sakura looked him straight in the eyes. "Sorry, not tonight, Sasori."

"Oh, busy?"

Turning her back on him, Sakura answers, "No." and walks off towards her home, leaving Sasori dumbfounded yet still attracted to her. She's rejected him, again.


	2. Music Bow Creator

**Now before anyone goes off saying I need to slow down with uploading, I've already had the first two chapters done, I just never thought about posting the story on here until a little recently. BTW, if any of my readers haven't figured it out, the AU is the live-action version for Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson as Belle. I really love the live-action version so I thought I would use this AU as an updated version of an old SasuSaku B.A.T.B. story I had done a long time ago.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Music Box Creator**

Arriving back home, Sakura checks over her shoulder to make certain that Sasori hasn't followed her home. The last thing she ever needs is to have him sticking around longer than necessary. Opening and closing the gate gently behind her, Sakura can hear a beautiful, familiar tune of a music box her father is currently working on. Her father, Kakashi Hatake is a genius when it comes to his music boxes.

Giving the family mare Kouhei her daily love and attention, the girl heads inside to find Kakashi finish with building a new music box. The box is built to appear like a windmill tower while on the inside is a scene of her father at a younger age painting of his beloved wife and Sakura's mother, Hanare, holding an infant Sakura in her arms while one of her hands gently held a beautiful red rose.

 **How does a moment**

 **last forever**

Kakashi sings the lyrics of the beautiful tune, the song that he and Hanare would always sing together like they had a long time ago.

 **How can a story never die**

 **It is love we must hold on to**

 **Never easy but we try**

Entering the room, Sakura can't help but smile at how content her father is as he works on his new music box. After taking a quick glance at the painting on the wall, Kakashi continues on with his work.

 **Sometimes our happiness**

 **is captured**

 **Somehow a time and place stand still**

 **Love lives on**

 **inside our hearts**

 **And always will**

Once the song ended, Sakura approaches Kakashi's workbench, causing the older man to smile at seeing his daughter back from town. Taking out the small box where the music part is kept so he could add the finishing touches, Kakashi is just about to ask for a small tool needed when he saw that Sakura is already ahead of him.

Now that everything is all set, Kakashi puts the music box together and closes it until they hear a small click. Taking the morning tea set away to be cleaned out for afternoon tea later, Sakura can't help but ask her father, "Papa, do you think I'm odd?"

This left Kakashi a little confused as to why she asked him such a question. "What gives you that idea?"

"Well, people do talk."

"This is a small village, Sakura. Small minded as well. But small also means safe. Back in Paris there was a girl I once knew and she was like you, who was far ahead of her time. Very different from the people around her and they mocked her. Until one day they all found themselves imitating her."

That might have been true for her mother, but Sakura felt that there is no way the villagers will be like her. "Please, papa, tell me one more thing about her."

"Your mother was fearless, she never cared of what others thought of her. And I always believed that you've inherited many of her traits and qualities. Now then, I need you to hitch up Kouhei, it's time for me to set off and sell these music boxes."

With a nod of her head, Sakura does as her father asked of her while Kakashi carefully place his creations into cardboard boxes to make certain that they make it to his destination safely. An hour later, Kakashi sets the boxed up music boxes inside the open carriage. Gently stroking Kouhei's neck, Sakura whispers to the mare, "Take good care of papa for me until you return."

Once everything is ready and Kouhei is set, Sakura approaches Kakashi and hugs him before he settles into the driver's seat. "So then, what can I bring you from the market?"

Sakura gives him a single smile before answering, "A rose, one as beautiful as the one in the painting."

"You ask for that every year!"

"And every year you bring it."

Kakashi can't help but return his daughter's smile as he holds her chin tenderly. "Then I shall bring you another one. I promise."

"Goodbye, papa. Be safe."

"Goodbye, Sakura. Take care." With that, Sakura backs away from the carriage as Kakashi snaps the reins, Kouhei start to trot and lead the carriage out of the village as Sakura waves them off.

Into the afternoon, Sakura gathers a few things to do the laundry at the fountain. The way the other women do is the traditional way, yet it would take a very long time to do. So, using her creative mind now that she's gathered everything she needs, Sakura leaves her home and first heads over to Asuma's stables that she went to earlier, approaching the donkey who is already happy to see her again. Gently petting his muzzle, Sakura whispers, "Come with me, my friend. I'm going to need your help."

At the now unoccupied fountain, Sakura gets to work on a contraption she's invented and made certain it works to make laundry much easier and faster. With the large barrel in place with the clothes and the right amount of soap inside, Sakura connects the barrel to the donkey with a rope connected in a pulley system that would make the barrel spin as the donkey walks around the fountain, a treat hanging above his head.

As the clothes are getting washed, Sakura sits on a nearby ledge, reading when she hears a young girl approach her. "What are you doing?"

"The laundry." Seeing the child watch in curiosity, Sakura ushers the young girl over to her. Once the girl sits right beside her, Sakura starts to teach her how to read.

A while later, the church bells can be heard, by this time the school has been let out as Sakura points to each word in a sentence and the girl reads them out loud, slowly. She's making progress. "You're doing great." Sakura smiles at the young girl and she smiles back, feeling proud of herself since she's always wanted to be just like Sakura.

"What on earth are you doing?" they hear an angered voice and the two see it's the school teacher. Clearly he did not like the sight of Sakura teaching a girl how to read. Then a few village men came by to stop Sakura's work, undoing her contraption and dumping the almost clean clothes into the dirt road.

With an annoyed sigh, Sakura gathers up the clothes with help from Tsunade. Once the clothes were gathered back into her basket, Sakura could feel the other villagers' heated glares upon her. But she just ignores them all and starts to head back home to take care of the clothes. "Sakura!" She stops dead in her tracks, her annoyance growing as she sees Sasori approach her with his casual smile. "I heard you had trouble with the Headmaster. He never liked me neither."

"Look, all I wanted was to teach a child to read." Sakura tells him as she continues on her way, not making eye contact.

"But the only children you should ever be concerned with are your own." Sasori points out.

This only made her more annoyed that he would bring this up. "I'm not ready to have my own children."

"Well perhaps you just haven't met the right man." Sasori shrugs as Sakura then shuts the gate on him, locking him out.

"This is a small village, Sasori. I've already met all of them."

"Maybe you should take a second look. You'll come to learn some of us have changed."

Can't he just shut up and leave her alone? "Sasori, we could never make each other happy. No one can change that much and not fast."

"Oh, Sakura. Do you know what happens to maidens in this village after their fathers die?" Sasori points out. "They beg for scraps, they are left completely alone. This is our world, Sakura."

"Get this through your head already, no matter what I'll never marry you, Sasori." With that, Sakura turns on her heels and walks inside her home. Once she knew he has left her home, Sakura steps out through a side door, glaring after his retreating back. "Can you imagine? Me? The wife of that fool?"

 **Madame Sasori**

 **can't you just see it**

 **Madame Sasori**

 **his little wife**

Just thinking about it is making her skin crawl and nerves rapture. He could never be the man for her.

 **No sir, not me**

 **I guarantee it**

 **I want much more**

 **than this provincial life**

Wanting to get away from the village and all its residents, Sakura leaves her beloved home, exits out of the village and into the wide open fields behind her home, her arms out to take in the light of the sun and the fresh smell of nature all around her.

 **I want adventure**

 **in the great wide somewhere**

 **I want it more than I can tell**

Laying among the wildflowers, Sakura dreams of what adventures she could have if she could just leave this place.

 **And for once it might be grand**

 **To have someone understand**

 **I want so much more**

 **Than they've got planned**


End file.
